The Phantom of the Opera
by Malikah
Summary: "The Phantom of the Opera", the screen adaptation from 2004 in the "Thor"-version. / Paris, 1870: A Phantom who plagues the Parisian opera falls in love with a young ballerina and chorister, who still clings to her childhood love. / AU, Lokane / Enjoy!


**The Phantom of the Opera **

_Prologue: The Auction_

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**_Paris 1919_**

It was a windy autumn day, the streets were dull, leaves were sweeping across these streets and there was brisk turmoil on the forecourt of the opera. Children were running across the courtyard, people were conversing, salesmen were tendering their merchandise and carriages were passing by ceaselessly.

A black carriage pulled up in front of the opera, the golden crest of the house of Odinson decorated the sides of it. As soon as it came to a stop, a lad came out of it and helped an old man out of that carriage and into a wheelchair. His face was gaunt, the snow-white hair pulled back to the nape of his neck, the once intensive blue eyes were now dull. His hands were folded in his lap; his blunt nails were playing with a single pearl of a necklace. An older woman got out of the carriage and helped the lad to lead the man into the long closed Opera Populaire, over whose entrance there was a sign which annunciated: "Vente Publique Aux Enchères – Public Auction Today".

* * *

"Going once, going twice, going three times, sold! Your number, Monsieur? Thank you!" The loud, booming voice of the auctioneer resounded throughout the opera house, while Monsieur Odinson was being brought into the auction hall. The opera was deserted; dust covered every surface, destroyed were the once golden decorations, torched were the once heavy, ruby curtains, no light filled the once majestic looking foyer. It was the shadow of Europe's greatest opera, dark, destroyed and deserted.

"Object 663, Ladies and Gentlemen!" the auctioneer announced, jerking the old man out of his musings as the young lad pushed Monsieur Odinson to the side of the stage. "A poster from this house's production of "Hannibal" by Chalumeau."

A carrier brought the poster, which overtowered him, upon the stage and exclaimed "Showing here!"

"Do I have 10 Francs?" the auctioneer prodded, receiving an immediate answer. "Five! Five are offered!"

Monsieur Odinson raised his hand. He recognized the poster from years ago; it has been his love's debut, Jane's first vocal performance on the stage of the Opera Populaire on the evening when he took this opera over together with his business partners – at that time it was still unbeknownst to him that the love of his juvenile years danced in the ballet of this house.

The auctioneer noticed his raised hand. "Six! Do I have seven?"

Someone raised his hand, offering seven. "Once again you, Monsieur, seven! Eight?" Monsieur Odinson wouldn't let the poster slip through his fingers, it was far too important for him. He raised his hand again. "Eight! Going once, going twice, going three times, sold! To Monsieur Odinson, Vicomte de Chagny! Thank you, good sir." He tilted his head towards the Vicomte and continued.

"Object 664, a wooden pistol and three human skulls from the mise-en-scène of Meyerbeer's "Robert le Diable" from 1831. Ten Francs, the minimum bid. Ten, thank you. Ten, still? Fifteen, thank you. Fifteen are bid. Sold for fifteen! Your number, Monsieur?"

Thor Odinson looked around the hall slowly, while the lad fetched the poster he had purchased. His gaze wandered through the rows of interested parties, most of their faces were unfamiliar to him, but his dull eyes lingered on one special countenance. A Lady of his age, dressed elegantly in a dark robe, stood on the side of the stage. The white hair was pulled to the back of her head strictly, she wore a black hat. Soft laughter lines appeared around her eyes as she saw him. Darcy Lewis, he recognized her immediately. The light, blue eyes shone through the dim room, her lips were pressed into a tight line, her stature delicate and elegant like a ballerina, which she has been years ago. The best in this opera, apart from his Jane.

"To call comes object 665, Ladies and Gentlemen, a papier-mâché musical box, in the shape of a barrel organ."

Odinson's gaze returned to the stage, as the auctioneer continued with the description of the object, while the carrier presented it to the people.

"Attached, the figure of a little monkey in Persian robes, playing the cymbals."

Lady Darcy recognized the object at first sight. She was the one who found it that day, when they were searching for Jane – it was one of the reminders of the tragedy, which has taken place years ago.

"The object, found in the cellar-vaults of the theatre, is still in working order, Ladies and Gentleman." The auctioneer exclaimed.

"Showing here!" The carrier presented the musical box and a melody, very familiar and well-known to Darcy and Thor, filled the dim room. It was the song from the evening of the masquerade, the evening on which the Phantom returned.

"May I commence at fifteen Francs? Fifteen, thank you." Monsieur Odinson raised his hand again.

"Yes, twenty from you, Monsieur, thank you." Lady Darcy eyed the once very handsome young man, raising her hand softly.

"Lady Darcy, twenty-five?" She nodded. "Thank you, Madam. Twenty-five are bid, do I hear thirty?"

The Vicomte de Chagny raised his hand again, watching Lady Darcy, whose blue eyes held his own captured. "Thirty! Thirty-five?" the auctioneer prodded, eyeing the Lady Darcy with a questioning gaze, whereat she turned her gaze from Thor Odinson, reluctantly shaking her head no.

"So it stays with thirty Francs! Going once, going twice, going three times, sold! For thirty Francs to the Vicomte de Chagny! Thank you, Monsieur."

The carrier handed the musical box to the Vicomte and Lady Darcy watched with a soft smile, how the Vicomte accepted it almost tenderly and cautiously. He eyed it closely, letting his finger trail over the sharp edges of the wooden box and the golden cymbals held between the monkey's hands, while all the happenings around him became blurred.

_A collector's piece indeed, every detail exactly as she said, will you still play when all the rest of us are dead? _

"Object 666, then" the auctioneer continued, his booming voice turning into a bewitching murmur as he roused Monsieur Odinson out of his trance. "A chandelier in pieces. Maybe some of you still remember the strange affair of the phantom of the opera – a mystery never fully explained. We're told that this is the very chandelier which caused the famous disaster. Our workshop has repaired it and partly equipped it with the new electric light. Perhaps" he murmured, while all the eyes turned towards the great chandelier, still hidden under a large, white blanket. "We can frighten away the ghost of so many years ago, with a little illumination." He proposed, then, raising his voice, he spoke to the men surrounding the chandelier. "Gentleman."

And with that, the big, white blanket was being pulled off of the chandelier, whose lamps illuminated in new light, while young men heaved the heavy object up with the help of thick ropes. As if out of nowhere, strong wind got up, while Lady Darcy and Monsieur Odinson stared at the chandelier with forlorn gazes. Both of them remembered the happenings from 49 years ago, when the Opera Populaire had been the gem of the Parisian artistic scene and was being afflicted by its very own Phantom.

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_**A/N **__Thank your for reading! Just yesterday, I watched the movie adaptation of "Phantom of the Opera" and I fell in love with it all over again._

_The immediate thought I had was that Loki would fit into the role of the Phantom incredibly well... and so, I decided to give it a try._

_Honestly, I do not know if there is a similar Lokane story in the Thor/Avengers domain, but if there is, I would really like to know and already apologize for... "stealing" the idea! _

_Anyways, I hope you liked the Prologue and if there is any interest, I would definitely want to continue the story and see how it turns out!_

_But, I'll have to warn you, there will be some OOCness, because, well... Thor and Raoul? So not similar to one another! :D_

_Oh, and if you wondered, I let Thor be the Vicomte de Chagny so that he keeps a high social status and obviously, Loki and Thor are not related. Futher relationships or lack thereof will follow in the next chapters ;)_

_For now, once again thank you for reading and if you have the time, feel free to leave me a review with your opinion!_

_ Take care! :)_

_- Malikah_

**Disclaimer:** _Nothing from Thor, nothing from The Phantom of the Opera, not even parts of the dialoge, which I borrowed from the 2004 screen adaptation for the prologue. _


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